Friend, last night President Trump refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power, saying he'd "been complaining very strongly about the ballots" -- in reference to his baseless attempts to sow fear and confusion about safe, secure mail-in voting.
This is alarming, but it only solidifies my commitment to ramping up our Election Protection efforts for a legitimate, transparent, and trustworthy election this year.
Common Cause will do all in our power to make this happen, and I'm glad to know we can count on you, too. -Karen
Friend, I’m still devastated by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s passing -- like you and so many others may be, too.
Since then, millions have spoken up signaling that they are ready to fight for her legacy -- and I’m glad to know you’re with us.
But make no mistake. We’re up against a strikingly cynical, partisan response from Mitch McConnell’s Senate -- exposing not only their hypocrisy, but their true priorities.
Never mind that they’ve ignored COVID-19 relief for nearly 6 months -- and look less and less likely to pass a bill that will fund local governments, election security, and the U.S. Postal Service.
Never mind that they don’t seem at all concerned that we’re just 7 days away from a government shutdown deadline.
Never mind that despite a summer marked by protests and a nationwide reckoning on racism and police violence, the Mitch McConnell Senate hasn’t lifted a finger to make our country more equitable.
Now, after months of inaction -- McConnell’s Senate (remember: he bragged about it being a “legislative graveyard”) plans on rushing through a Supreme Court nomination during the 2020 election, with early voting already underway in multiple states!
In order to ram this through in the next five weeks, before 2020 voting has completed, Senate Republicans will have to toss out every vestige of their constitutional duty to hold a thorough, rigorous, and transparent vetting process for Trump’s selection.
Vetting a nominee takes time -- reviewing thousands of documents and cases, in addition to an FBI background check. There’s just not enough time to do that properly, in a highly partisan environment, right before a national election.
Instead, Sen. Lindsey Graham is already bragging that the Senate "got the votes to confirm" -- without even knowing who the nominee is!
This is all about power -- and cementing permanent minority rule in this country. After all, even while ignoring the basic duties of governing, Senate Republicans have kept confirming lower court judges, selected solely on whether they are willing to rubber-stamp Trump’s unpopular, far-right agenda.
Mitch McConnell is now jumping on the opportunity to tarnish Justice Ginsburg’s legacy, and shift the court in an ultra-right, pro-corporate direction -- while he refuses to take up any measure to help everyday Americans struggling with the pandemic and our faltering economy, or safeguard our democracy.
Here is the tragic fact: if Mitch McConnell can convince 50 senators to go along with his partisan about-face -- they’ll likely be able to confirm a nominee before the election. And, that nominee could cast a deciding vote in Trump’s favor if 2020 election disputes go before the Supreme Court.
Friend, all of this means that right now, American democracy is under threat, more so than any other time in Common Cause’s 50-year history.
It is up to each of us to work with every ounce of energy we’ve got in the coming weeks -- which means not losing focus for a second on our mission. Every single vote must count, period.
So that’s why, even if you may feel discouraged right now, I urge you to help us turn this worry into work -- the work of organizing the fight for the very future of our democracy.
Common Cause is putting every resource we can muster into our Election Protection efforts -- now made all the more necessary by the death of Justice Ginsburg, the cynical power grab by McConnell’s Senate, and the unprecedented efforts by the GOP and Trump to suppress the vote.
We must redouble our efforts. We must mobilize thousands of nonpartisan Election Protection volunteers, who will help millions of voters during early voting -- already in progress in many states -- and on Election Day.
Despite what’s going on in the U.S. Senate, more than ever we must help local election officials prepare for a major uptick in mail-in voting. And we still must stand vigilant to stop coordinated disinformation attacks -- that seek to interfere with our free and fair elections.
This new state of affairs means it is particularly important, for the very legitimacy of our institutions, to do everything possible to prevent a disputed election outcome -- and that means ensuring our systems are as safe, secure, and transparent as possible.
I’m writing to urge you to recommit yourself to this urgent fight for the future of democracy. And, I hope you can step up like you always have before -- and help provide the resources we need to carry on this work and defend RBG’s legacy.
Friend, you and I both know that our democracy is worth fighting for -- and believe me that fight is far from over.
I am confident we will ultimately prevail, because ordinary people like you and me still hold the true power in our country.
This confidence is reinforced every hour as more and more phone calls and emails pour in from across the country with the singular message. “Count me in. I’m ready to do what it takes to save and protect our democracy for the next generation.”
I’m so glad to know I can count on you. In common cause,
Karen Hobert Flynn, President
and the team at Common Cause
[1] https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/23/politics/trump-election-day-peaceful-transition/index.html
